Photo courtesy Philadelphia Union II Communications

Now that Philadelphia Union II has played their 13^th regular season match, it is time to begin PSP’s midseason roster analysis.

Before we initiate the player-by-player discussion, we offer some general observations about the organization’s process.

Each player gets eight to ten games as an evaluation run. That quantity provides a variety of game situations and opposing styles, and it allows for nerves and adjustments to be overcome and made.

Age is a major Union criterion, especially if a player might be a candidate to be sold onward, as is the organization’s fundamental business strategy. As a general principle, the organization offers professional contracts when a player is 17, i.e., a junior in YSC Academy’s school house.

But there is a qualifier. YSC Academy’s admissions process, academic curriculum, and stated goals are entirely and thoroughly college preparatory. To date, all of its graduates who have not turned professional – and several who have! – have at least begun a college process. For those familiar with Greater Philadelphia secondary education, YSC Academy’s classroom product is “Inter-Ac level.” Therefore, foregoing a potential athletic scholarship is a major economic and developmental decision not to be made casually by either the player or the organization.

In consequence candidates for pro contracts who are less certain than others to “make it” professionally can be closely followed during their college soccer careers, and have upon occasion been offered professional contracts later. Jeremy Rafanello and Nick Pariano exemplify this second, less publicized “pathway to the pros.”

The review

This year we divide the 25 players we are going to discuss by positional groups: Strikers, Midfielders, Defenders, and Goalkeepers.

Strikers – 5 

Markus Anderson:  all data as of 7/1/25. Age = 21.6. Union matches:  3 appearances, 1 start, 98 minutes played, 1 goal. Union II matches  6 appearances, 2 starts, 290 minutes played, 1 goal, 3 assists. First team contract, active roster.

Anderson is becoming a first team primary reserve. His Union II appearances this year have been for maintenance of conditioning and sharpness rather than development. He may be getting a look at attacking midfielder, but he has played that role almost as a third striker when doing so in Union II games.

Were there a Union professional organization strikers’ depth chart, we estimate he would lie fifth.

Eddy Davis: all data as of 7/1/25. Age = 19.0. Union matches: 1 appearance, 0 starts, 2 minutes played. Union II matches: 12 appearances, 8 starts, 757 minutes, 3 goals, 4 assists. First team contract, off roster Homegrown player.

Davis still practices and plays primarily with Union II. He has only just made his first team debut, two games ago in Chicago. He is learning how to score goals without last year’s special combination of players in the left channel. He started the season slowly, adapting not only to those absences, but to a new Union II head coach in Ryan Richter. At mid-season, Union head coach Bradley Carnell sounds satisfied with his developmental progress. It seems appropriate to his age and the difficulty of his playing position.

Were there a depth chart such as the one referenced above, Davis would lie sixth or seventh.

Sal Olivas: all data as of 7/1/25. Age = 19.0. Union matches: 1 appearance, 0 starts, 27 minutes. Union II matches: 12 appearances, 10 starts, 776 minutes played, 3 goals. First team contract, off roster Homegrown player.

Olivas still practices and plays primarily with Union II. He has only just made his first team debut one game ago in Columbus. Coach Carnell complimented his defensive running in that match. The next day for Union II when coming on as a substitute, he played the second team game at a first team pace, suggesting he learns new things quickly and pushes himself to do his best rather than playing down to the level of others.

Were there a depth chart, Olivas would lie sixth or seventh depending what specific player characteristics were needed.

Stas Korzeniowski: all data as of 7/1/25. Age = 22.4. Union friendly matches: 1 appearance, 0 starts, 25 minutes. Union II matches: 11 appearances, 7 starts, 561 minutes, 3 goals. Union II contract.

Korzeniowski provides hold-up play and athleticism as a striker. And he is not bashful about shooting, or about anything else for that matter. He began tryouts while recovering from an ankle injury, and sustained some type of soft tissue upper leg injury a few weeks ago. We suspect he is being pushed further, faster, higher, and deeper athletically than ever before, and that his determination has pushed his body beyond its current physical limits.

For us, questions remain about his agility, quickness, and pace. We note concrete improvement in all three from mid-January to now, the beginning of July. We are confident he has an individual development plan to improve those aspects of his athleticism, and we are equally confident he is pushing himself hard to execute it. Korzeniowski does nothing by half measures. The fastest games of the season are at the end of the season and in the playoffs, so judgments on agility, quickness and pace must wait to see whether he can keep up in the end-of-year environments.

Since he is in his first year, over his first ever upcoming professional off-season he will know for what he is preparing himself. We would be surprised if he were not invited back to discover what a dedicated off-season of conditioning might improve.

On the depth chart referenced earlier he would currently lie eighth.

Malik Jakupovic (see photo): all data as of 7/1/25. Age = 16.0. Union II matches: 1 appearance, 0 starts, 18 minutes, 1 goal. Union II friendly matches: 1 appearance, 0 starts, 45 minutes played. Union II contract.

Jakupovic signed with Union II on May 29, 2025. He debuted against Cincinnati 2 in northern Kentucky June 3^rd. He then was absent for MLS NEXT Cup, and has not dressed for a professional match since. As he is a YSC Academy student, along with his other U17 Academy teammates we suspect he is having a last summer vacation, since that is a long-standing academy custom for families newly in Jakupovic’s situation.

We will learn more about him beginning in August.

It is telling that the organization made certain to sign him before he went off to MLS NEXT Cup in front of its plethora of scouts.